The Botswana Chess Federation (BCF) will from tomorrow, Saturday March 14th -15th host the National Youth Team Finals in Gaborone, attracting a total of 93 youth players.
The competition will bring together the country’s top ten boys and girls aged 10 to 18. The participants made it through after following the qualifying tournaments held in February 2026 ensuring that only the best-performing players reach the final stage.
In an interview, BCF Spokesperson Goitsemodimo Makgatle said the main objective of the competition is to identify and select the strongest youth players who will represent Botswana at the regional and international competitions during the 2026/ 2027 period.
She stated that the competition also aims to promote youth participation in chess, provide competitive exposure for emerging talent, and strengthen Botswana’s youth development pathway in line with international chess standards.
“The competition will feature both boys and girls’ categories across different youth age groups, ensuring that young players from various age brackets have the opportunity to compete and represent the country at higher levels from age category,” she said.
According to Makgatle, the competition winners will have the opportunity to represent Botswana in regional and international youth chess competitions.
However, Makgatle said that due to financial constraints the tournament does not have any sponsor, appealing to the business community for financial assistance.
Meanwhile, Makgatle said that after the National Youth Team Finals they will start preparing for the 17th edition of the Africa Youth Chess Championship which will be held from the 14th-23rd May 2026 in Uganda. The championship is open to players U8, U10, U12, U14, U16 and U 18 in open and girls sections.
The winners of each age group category in both the open and girls Sections (classical) will be awarded personal rights to participate in the 2027 FIDE World Youth (U14, U16, U18) Chess Championships and the 2027 FIDE World Cup (U8, U10, U12).
Makgatle noted that BCF has other several upcoming events on its calendar that include national championships and continental tournament to be hosted in Botswana, notably the African Individual Chess Championship (AICC) in June 2026, highlighting the country’s growing role in African Chess.
